


The Nightmare

by Gnomecat



Category: Homeland
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-13
Updated: 2017-11-13
Packaged: 2019-02-01 23:17:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12714816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gnomecat/pseuds/Gnomecat
Summary: This is a light-hearted story about Quinn having a weird dream. It’s set in a world where Carrie, Quinn and Franny are living together as a happy family. The story is mostly about Quinn and Franny but Carrie is there too!





	The Nightmare

**Author's Note:**

  * For [elim_garak](https://archiveofourown.org/users/elim_garak/gifts).



> This story was written for elim_garak because….. no reason (ha ha! ;-)). Certain aspects of it were inspired by your stories EG. I hope you like it. It's been so nice talking to you. :-)

_Quinn twitched a little in his sleep. His head moved from side to side on the pillow and his hands flexed open and closed. “No, no, stop! You can’t take them!” he mumbled quietly. Next to him Carrie was snoring quietly and didn’t even stir at the disruption._

 

He was running as fast as his legs could carry him. Stumbling over the uneven ground and holding up his hands to try to protect his face from the tree branches whipping against him. Inside his head his thoughts were moving at an equally fast pace. “Where are they? I have to find them! Where has he taken them? I have to protect them!” The words went around and around and spurred him to run even faster, even though he had no idea where he was heading.

There was a full moon somewhere up above but the tree canopy in the woods was so thick it was pitch black at ground level and he could barely see a thing. He had to stop, he had to regroup. It felt like he was drowning. His heart was almost pumping out of his chest and he was gulping for air.

 He slowed to a jog and then stopped. His knees began to shake and he leant against a tree for support. He tried to hold his breath while he listened for sounds but the woods were silent. Too silent. Where were they? He had to find them. Carrie and Franny. They were here somewhere. He’d almost caught up with them. Almost. But now he was lost again. There were trees everywhere. He looked to the left and the right. He didn’t know which way to turn.

A sharp crack of a broken twig somewhere to the left of him broke the silence and he froze. He reached for his gun. It wasn’t there. Fuck, where was it? He patted himself down, getting more frantic as his search yielded nothing. No gun and no phone either. They must have fallen out his pocket somewhere. Shit.

He looked around again, turning in a desperate circle looking to the north, east, south, and west. It didn’t help. Trees, trees, trees, trees in all directions. There were no distinguishing features; he couldn’t even see the sky to see the stars. He leant back and closed his eyes. _Just trust your instincts_.

He opened his eyes and started walking, keeping a slow pace this time to try to pay more attention to his surroundings. All of a sudden his attention was caught by a beam of moonlight from a small gap in the trees. It was illuminating something on the ground, something small and white.

He moved towards it and picked it up. It was a chess piece. A knight. He turned it over in his hands and looked in the direction the horse’s head had been pointing. _Trust your instincts_. He began to walk, scanning the ground as he went. He spotted another one. And then, a little further ahead, another one. He picked up the pace and wait, there it was. He could see the end of the trees and the edge of the woods.

He began to run again, slipping and sliding in the mud, until he reached the tree line. Directly in front of him now was a grassy field and beyond that a house. It was a small square wooden house with a wraparound porch and a swing. It looked vaguely familiar.

This had to be the place. He looked up at the sky. The moon was illuminating the whole field but the wind was moving the clouds at a quick pace. He waited until a band of clouds blocked out the moonlight and made a run for it, arriving at the house before the clouds moved on and the moon was revealed again.

He crouched down below the porch level and listened. No sounds. He crawled his way around the perimeter of the house until he reached the back. A small gap in one of the windows caught his attention and he noticed another chess piece sitting on the window sill on the inside.

He cautiously looked through the window. It seemed to be a small room, perhaps a pantry. He tested the window and it moved easily with no squeaks. He lifted it all the way and climbed through, silent as a cat.

The room _was_ a pantry and it was well stocked with shelves and shelves of jars and packets of food. There was a wooden box on the floor filled with peaches and in an instant he realised why this house seemed so familiar. He looked to the top shelf to be sure. No need for tip-toes this time. Yes. There they were, just where he remembered. The forbidden candy bars on the top shelf. His grandfather’s secret stash of treats.

He opened the door a crack and peeked out. The kitchen was empty but there were two glasses and two plates in the sink. They had to be here. But where were they? It was so quiet.

Flattened against the wall he made his way to the door and looked through into the next room. It was a family room but the furniture was covered with dust sheets. At first glance it didn’t look like anyone had been there for a while but the trail of mud on the floor told a different story.  The trail led up the stairs.

 

He was halfway up the stairs, treading lightly to avoid making a sound, when he heard the back door open and shut with a loud squeak. He thought fast. Should he confront the danger or keep going? He had no weapon and he still needed to find them. He didn’t know where they had been hidden and he might need help to locate them. Decision made, he kept going up the stairs and was met by a hallway with four doors leading off  it.

Hearing footsteps move across the floor below him he went to the first door. Locked. The second. Locked. The third locked. The fourth… open. He slipped inside, closed the door and waited. Downstairs the footsteps stopped and it went quiet again.

As his eyes adjusted to the darkness the shapes in the room began to reveal themselves as everyday objects. A bed, a cupboard, and a toy box. A boy’s bedroom. There were Star Trek posters on the wall and Star Wars sheets on the bed. It was _his_ old bedroom. He looked back to the door frame and smiled at the small marks on the wall. ‘Johnny aged 6’, ‘Johnny aged 7’ and so on. The marks stopped at age 10.

In the centre of the room was a small table with a chessboard set up. It was out of place. He didn’t remember it at all. It looked like the game was in mid-progress but a few pieces were missing. He studied the game for a second and tried to work out the next move. He took the knight from his pocket and placed it on the game board. He stood for a moment just staring at the game until he suddenly realised the next move and moved the pieces. A sound from downstairs re-focused his attention.

He needed a plan. The other doors on the floor were locked. He didn’t have anything to help him pick the locks and he couldn’t kick down the door without making a huge noise. He still didn’t even know where they were. _Think_. He visualised the outside of the house… perhaps…. he walked to the window and looked out of it. Yes. Of course! Just as he remembered there was a narrow ledge that went all the way around the house. He had done it before and the feeling of exhilaration came flooding back to him. His feet were bigger now but he might still be able to do it. He might be able to inch his way around, look into the other windows and find out where Franny and Carrie were. He opened the window and climbed out, balancing carefully on the narrow ledge. His foot slipped slightly and he grabbed hold of the roof, looking upwards as he did. He noticed a skylight, another thing that was out of place from his memories, and something told him it was worth taking a look.

He slowly climbed up the roof until he reached the window. It was covered with dirt and he wiped it clean with his sleeve. He saw them instantly. They were sitting on a bed in the corner of the room. They looked ok and a surge of relief washed over him. He tapped on the window and they looked up and saw him instantly. Franny jumped up and waved at him through the window. He struggled to open it. “It’s locked!” he read her lips.

“Stand back!” he motioned with his hands and when she was a safe distance he brought his boot crashing down on the window. The noise was horrendous but he didn’t care. He quickly removed most of the glass with his shoe and jumped through the gap. Franny jumped into his arms and he held her tightly. “I’ve got you. You’re safe!” Carrie ran over too and the three of them embraced in a ball of emotion. “Did he hurt you? Are you ok?”

“We’re fine. You came to rescue us! I knew you would come!” Franny’s eyes were shining excitedly.

“We have to go. He’ll have heard the noise!” His brain whirred with options. How would they escape? Back through the window? But it was a steep drop. Risky. One slip and… No, they had to go out the door. But that would mean going past….

Fuck. He had been foolhardy. He had been so quick to get to them he had made a mistake. He should have gone back downstairs, neutralised the threat and then led them to safety. But he had fucked up. He had fucked it up again. Fuck!

He could hear footsteps already. Thump thump thump of heavy feet moving up the house towards them. His heart was thumping in his chest just as loud.

“Back! Against the wall!” He grabbed them both and bundled them to the back of the room. He looked out the window again. Maybe they could make it.

 

But it was too late. The door crashed open and he saw the threat for the first time. Except it wasn’t a man. It was a monster with glowing eyes and big teeth. It was huge. It growled menacingly and raised its hands out.

He took a step forward, standing in front of Carrie and Franny. “Get back!!” he yelled. “Stay away.” He patted his pockets again, finding only the chess pieces. He threw one and it just bounced off the thing’s chest like it was nothing. He threw another. This time a head shot. But it didn’t help. He froze in fear. He didn’t know what to do. He had failed again!

 

A sudden movement behind him surprised him. Before he could stop her Franny dashed past him, straight towards the monster. “You’re not going to hurt us!” She yelled.

“Franny stop!” He grabbed out to stop her but missed. “Franny!”

She charged forward and then stopped, balanced on her feet and threw her arms forward in a challenge. “You’ll have to get through me!”

The monster growled and took a step forward.

Franny jumped towards it, feet first, and kicked it right in the stomach.

“Aarg!” The monster doubled over in pain but straightened up just as quickly and swung out at Franny.

She ducked, did a small forward roll, and ended up behind the monster. She kicked out at it again and the monster fell to its knees with a huge thud. The monster swung out desperately with its paw but Franny ducked and dodged it again.

She took another kick. This time right to the head. “Gaarrr!” It crashed to the ground, covered its head and curled up on the floor. Franny kicked it again.

“Leave me alone!” The monster roared.

“That’s enough Franny, let’s go! Come on Carrie!” He looked over to Carrie. She was frozen with fear and he grabbed her arm to get her to move. He crossed the room in three strides, picked up Franny who was still standing over the monster with her hands poised to attack, took her in his arms and began to run. Down the stairs, down the corridor, down the second set of stairs, and out the front door into the field.

Once outside he kept running, pulling them both along with him until they reached the trees again. He hid them behind a tree and stopped to look at them. “Are you ok? Are you ok? Did you leave the trail of chess pieces? You are so clever!  It was how I found you!” He grabbed Franny, put his hands on her shoulders and looked right into her eyes.

“I’m fine, I’m fine!” Franny was smiling but suddenly her eyes widened in horror and she raised her arm to point. “Behind you….!” She gasped.

He felt a large paw grab his shoulder

                                                    ….he opened his mouth to scream

                                                                                                         ….and woke up.

 

“What the… what the hell…get off me, go!” His arms thrashed and he looked from side to side. He suddenly realised where he was. He was in bed. In their bedroom. He was safe. He looked to his right. Carrie was looking at him with a concerned expression and her hand on his arm.

“Are you ok? You were twitching wildly and mumbling. Did you have a nightmare? You haven’t had one of those for a long time.”

His mouth felt dry and his heart was still beating fast at the memory. He almost felt like he was still there and still experiencing it. He wanted to go back and protect them. “Yes.” He managed. He swallowed. “Yes.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” Her face was still concerned.

“Uh,” he rubbed his face. The dream was still incredibly vivid in his mind, but somehow the details were also fading rapidly as real life began to take over again.

“You and Franny had been kidnapped.. by…. by a huge rabbit man thing.”

“A what?” Carrie’s mouth dropped open.

“It was so real. Huge teeth, claws, a fuzzy tail…...”

_#“Bunnies aren’t just cute like everybody supposes. They have those hoppy legs and twitchy little noses..”#*_

Now it was his turn to look at her in surprise as she sang a little tune that was odd but seemed vaguely familiar. “What?”

“Nothing.” Carrie smiled. “You must have rabbits on the brain. What happened? Did we escape? Did you rescue us?”

“Yes, well no. Franny saved the day. She kicked its butt. She was…” he suddenly remembered another detail and smiled. “…she was wearing her karate outfit.”

“Of course! Did you expect anything less of her- dream or not! She is awake already by the way. I heard her purposely stomp down the stairs a few minutes ago. We better get up or she will be knocking on the door soon.”

“Is everything all set up for the surprise? Let’s go over the plan again.” He said.

Carrie rolled her eyes affectionately. “Don’t worry. The paper clues are all in place. While she is in the family room looking for clue two, you’ll sneak outside and put the toy bunny on top of the hutch materials.”

“Check. Are you sure it’s a good surprise? Is she going to like it?”

“Of course!” Carrie patted his arm. “She’s going to love the idea of building the hutch and the enclosure with you just as much as she is going to love the new rabbit itself. Maybe more. You know that. Stop worrying.”

He smiled. “Ok, let’s go downstairs and get the day started. But first…” He leaned over and pulled her close for a long kiss. “Good morning!”

 

**Author's Note:**

> * 'Bunnies aren’t just cute like everybody supposes'… is a line from a song in the Buffy episode 6.07 Once More With Feeling!


End file.
